I’m A FEMA Responder. Here's What No One Is Telling You About The Tragic Texas Floods.

"In church, I’ve heard people say 'God is in control' to dismiss the crisis – but my faith calls me to speak up, gently but firmly."

The catastrophic floods in Texas killed more than 100 people – including at least 28 children, most of them at a Christian summer camp that was devastated by last week’s disaster. Despite the horror, these children were not the first young Americans to have their futures destroyed by climate change. Nor will they be the last.

Though the White House has described the floods as “an act of God,” the disaster was not divine intervention, but part of a deadly chain of undeniable global climatic shifts that we are wholly unprepared for.

As an emergency health care worker, FEMA responder and proud woman of faith, I know this tragedy stems from years of climate denialism and reckless cuts to science, preparedness and infrastructure.

I’ve seen hospitals overheat during heatwaves — my own cousin was denied a proper funeral because the morgue couldn’t keep his body cool. My organization, Health4Peace, has sent thousands of dollars to hospitals only to learn it’s often spent on air conditioning, not advanced treatment. That’s just one of the ways that climate change is quietly rewriting our priorities.

In church, I’ve heard people say “God is in control” to dismiss the crisis — but my faith calls me to speak up, gently but firmly. Because staying quiet would be a betrayal of both my beliefs and what I see on the frontlines.